Ritual Thangka

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MANDALA: THE SACRED ART OF TIBETAN BUDDHISTS Mandala is a Sanskrit-derived word for a circle that represents universe, higher level of spiritual, psychological thoughts. The meaning of mandala isn’t just limited with one particular symbolism. It is a sacred circle embodying some sacred essence within. They are circular geometric designs that hold spiritual or religious significance. The word mandala symbolizes that everything in life is cyclic and never-ending, whether it be your life cycle or natural cycle. Tibetan medicine and healing arts have always been crucial to the Buddhist path. Buddhism values and art forms have been influential throughout the world for centuries. Many artworks from Tibetan Buddhism have been used as tools for meditation, healing, and also incorporates artistic skills in religious ceremonies. The mandala is the Buddha-field, where the Buddha lives. It reflects a deeply embedded perception of reality. Indeed mandalas are beautiful to look at but there’s more to the mandala than just its aesthetically pleasing look. They are geometric designs intended to symbolize the universe from the human perspective. Mandalas are one of the most ancient art forms made by humans. The exact pinpoint date for the origination of mandalas is not mentioned in any historical records but they have been around for a very long time now. The first traces of mandalas in records have been found since the first century BC but the actual start was even before that. The colors of the mandala symbolize different attributes of deities. These colorful mandalas illustrate the devout of monk's conscientiousness. They are made in balanced geometrical shapes in circular patterns. They have been considered as spiritual symbols in many religions. The religious art from Asia is seen engraved in many monasteries, temples, and religious gathering places. In recent years, there has been growing popularity of mandalas all over the world. People have been admiring the beauty of mandala and are gravitated towards the spiritual and meditative benefits from Mandala. The stylish and modern mandalas can be made in no time; however, those do not hold religious importance and can’t be used for meditation. It represents creativity in the pursuance of knowledge. They are just attractive art pieces. Mandalas have a lot of similarities in the ideas and beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism cultures. They are sacred ancient cultural artifact which carries principles and beliefs beyond life and death of ones. Buddhism carries the ideas and wisdom of the enlightened one “The Buddha”. SACRED ART OF BUDDHISM Mandalas have been around for centuries now and their structural forms in many cultures have evolved with time. Tibetan Buddhists are the first practitioners of Mandala art for Tantras, Sacred Rites, and tools for Meditation. Buddhism Mandalas feature Buddha and the circle of life. They are the sources for the ultimate enlightenment, either religiously or spiritually. Monks perform meditation while making a mandala; they make mandalas with the visualization of a three-dimensional palace. Palace has one or more deities in a mandala that manifest philosophical views and help transform our minds into enlightened ones. In accordance with Buddhist sacred writing records, mandalas channel advantageous positive momentum to the surroundings and to the people who gaze at them. While assembling a mandala on grounds, or canvas, Buddhist monks’ incant mantras and holy hymns to summon the spiritual and heavenly power of the deities inhabited within the mandala. The monks pray for the deities' to cascade healing powers to the mandala. The power of mandalas elongates to the whole world and disburse blessings to the ones shared with. SIGNIFICANCE OF MANDALA They are multifunctional sacred art that can be influential, helpful, and relevant to everyone. The purpose of the mandala has fallen into pseudo-spiritual ethnic limbo where anybody can draw it and gain insight from this. Whether it lays down flat or hangs on the wall, the aura is always positive and reviving around the mandala. The fascinating exotic qualities of this sacred Tibetan culture make us reach our higher levels of creativity and regeneration. It’s a great opportunity to use this as a spiritual guidance tool for establishing a sacred space and adding aid to meditation and trans induction. The negativity and sufferings are turned into powerful manifestation forces. DIFFERENT COLORS USED IN A MANDALA DESIGN REPRESENT DIFFERENT DESIRED OUTCOMES. White: It denotes the conversion of ignorance and acceptance into wisdom. Yellow: Yellow removes pride and creates a sense of belonging. Red: Red eradicates the sense of agitation and restricted thoughts dwelled in our minds. Green: The green color eliminates our bitterness, discontent mind thoughts into positive energies of love and understanding. Blue: Blue colors tend to convert anger and frustration into mindfulness. Mandalas are the purest, sacred form of Tibetan Buddhism that has immense power of healing. You can develop balance, joy, and harmony in life. It heals and relaxes the mind, body, and soul. They stimulate our creativeness and problem-solving skills. SOME COMMON SYMBOLS USED IN MANDALAS Wheel with eight spokes: It represents the eightfold path of Buddhism. Bell: Bells represent openness and emptying of mind to allow the entrance of wisdom and clarity. Triangle: Triangle structures are used facing upward or downward. The upward-facing triangle represents action and energy and the downward-facing triangle represents creativity and pursuit of knowledge. Lotus flower: Lotus flowers are used in all art forms of Buddhism. They are a sacred symbol of Buddhism. The symmetry of a lotus depicts balance. And as a lotus reaches up from underwater into the light, a human is tend to gain spiritual awakening and enlightenment. Sun: Sun tends to represent the universe and often carries meanings related to life and energy. TYPES OF MANDALA There are various types of Mandala found in different cultures of the world. They are used for a multitude of purposes, artistically or spiritually. Originally, for pigmenting a mandala they used powdered stones, powdered gems: things like lapis, malachite, and so on. In today’s time, we use sands from crushed marbles of different colors to create a sand mandala. And to be an expert on it requires a lot of practice and dedication. There are various kinds of mandala art. The three main mandalas are: TEACHING MANDALA These mandalas constitute symbolic structures of different shapes, lines, and colors. Each represents a different aspect of philosophical and religious system. The practitioners create their own mandalas based on principles of design and construction, projecting a visual symbolization of everything they have learned. HEALING MANDALA These are intuitive mandalas made for the purpose of meditation. Healing mandalas intend to deliver wisdom, evoke feelings of calm, and channel focus and concentration. While making a healing mandala, the therapeutic effect evokes one’s meditative state of mind and enhances concentration level. It helps to upgrade the focus level and self-expression character of the creator. Just as the making process moves towards the end, it denotes the completeness of the oneness of the maker. It makes the mind full of stress and restlessness to transform into a calm and imaginative state. Creating a healing mandala is one way of healing the community but also healing the environment. SAND MANDALA Buddhist monks and Navajo cultures are the originators of the sand mandala. They used to make sand mandalas for traditional religious purposes. It is a precise art form of using sands to make mandala art on the ground with copper funnels. Monks perform meditation throughout the process of making a mandala. The practice of meditation by making mandalas helps to break down the barriers of our normal deluded life. Sand mandalas are created for religious ceremonies and after the fulfillment of the reason; they are destroyed performing religious rituals. They are then swept in the water by performing rituals followed by holy chanting’s. Keep our mandalas at your home and workspace to draw all the negativity out and let it fill your mind with the highest level of mindfulness and self-awareness. They are a great tool for your workspace when it’s filled with tense and regular chaos of activities. It helps to purify the aura of the surrounding. Leave your eyes open and continue to gaze on the visual map of the mandala, focus on the rims, patterns, and boundaries one by one. It brings awareness to all the sensations and helps you get into a meditative state of mind. Minding these sensations will now tune the energy of our body connection with the mandala. Focus on the colors of the mandala and shift your gaze towards the patterns, boundaries and let them sink in your imagination. Close your eyes and let these colors fill your vision. This helps you stay calm and focus on one thing at a time. You must take out some time from your busy schedule and sit comfortably gazing at the beauty of the mandala. This spiritual practice helps you boost your efficiency at work. Small breaks from your hassle work environment to revive your energy through mandalas will help you balance your daily life. Most of us seem to lose our calm and get reactive easily even at small problems. We risk our comfort and healthy state of mind to achieve life goals. Mandalas are great tonics for establishing and maintaining a connection between you, your inner self, and your targeted goals.